Breaking 6. Making History

At just 27 years old, Sibusiso Kubheka - from Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal - has already made history.

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In August, he became the first man to break six hours over 100 kilometres, running 5 hours 59 minutes 20 seconds as part of adidas’ record-breaking ‘Chasing 100’ project in Italy. RW caught up with him on home turf in KZN to hear his story.

Runner's World: So, Sibusiso, tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and how did you get into running?

Sibusiso Kubheka: I grew up in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal. My mom is from there, and my dad is from Mpumalanga. I went to Bethamoya Primary School in Mpumalanga, and later to Sithokozile Secondary School. I started running when I was still in primary school - I was always good at it.

RW: When did you start taking running seriously?

SK: In Grade 10. That's when I really started training properly, and decided I wanted to see how far I could go with the sport.

RW: You signed with adidas this year. How did that come about?

SK: I signed my contract early this year. When I signed, they told me about the Chasing 100 project. At first, I wasn’t sure - it was difficult to accept, because the furthest I'd run before was 50km. But I trusted my coach, Xolani Mabhida; and when he said I could do it, I decided to accept.

RW: What was your reason for saying yes?

SK: I wanted to make history! It wasn’t about money - it was about making a name for myself in running.